Cape Tech/Harwich co-op voted down

The Cape Tech/Harwich cooperative football team is no more, but a Harwich/Chatham gridiron co-op could be in the making.

RUSS CHARPENTIER

The Cape Tech/Harwich cooperative football team is no more, but a Harwich/Chatham gridiron co-op could be in the making.

As expected yesterday, the District D Athletic Committee voted to end the successful, 16-year-old program between Harwich and Cape Tech because the number of Tech players could support a program on its own. Last season, there were 75 players in the CT/H program – 53 from Cape Tech and 22 from Harwich.

Cape Tech and Harwich were notified in a letter signed by District D chairman Joe Marani of South Shore Voke and chairwoman Kim Sousa of Somerset.

The decision on the Bourne/Upper Cape football team will be made by District D on June 2. Harwich and Cape Tech had asked the district for an expedited decision, which is why they received word yesterday.

Harwich principal Kevin Turner wasted no time after receiving the letter, calling an after-school meeting of 17 Harwich football players yesterday. He informed them of the decision and of Harwich’s plans to begin its own program in the fall, likely at a JV level.

“We’ll have an instructional JV program next year,” Turner said. “We anticipate games with other JV programs.”

There was disappointment in the room when players were informed the co-op was being disbanded.

“When you have one disappointment, sometimes another opportunity presents itself,” Turner said.

He said there could be another dozen football players coming up from middle school.

The Harwich players currently in the CT/H program would have been grandfathered in and allowed to play out their eligibility, but Harwich’s decision to start its own program nixes that possibility.

Turner said he thinks the cost of the new program could be kept under $30,000, and $14,000 for its share of the cooperative with Cape Tech is already in the budget. “The Booster Club will also be involved,” Turner said.

Turner also said Harwich superintendent Dr. Carolyn Cragin plans on inviting Chatham to join Harwich in a cooperative football team.

Harwich hopes to have a replacement for retiring athletic director Mark Sugermeyer hired by the end of April school vacation, and then a football coaching decision could be addressed.

“There’s a lot of planning to do,” Turner said.

Turner and Cape Tech principal Billy Terranova plan to meet with the District D committee today at the MIAA’s annual meeting to express their displeasure with the decision. But there is no appeal.

Dave Currid, who has been Cape Tech/Harwich’s head coach for eight seasons, seemed disappointed with the decision. Currid regrets that he was unable to speak to his players and inform them himself.

“The concern I always had, and my bosses had, was that we didn’t want to leave the Harwich kids behind. We wanted them to have the opportunity to play football. We had 16 years of a co-op that’s been pretty smooth.

“I never had any problems with Harwich High. Any kind of support we needed has always been there. Why do you want to get rid of a program that’s always been a model program?”

Currid said he will help Harwich any way he can in getting a program off the ground. “I will always be their coach,” he said of the players he is losing.

Looking to the future, Currid said: “It could be an opportunity for a rivalry down the road. The better line is, let’s make sure we’re doing right by the kids.”

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